Today, in the US state of Alaska, an extraordinary meeting is taking place between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, a showdown that could mark a key moment in global efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
The meeting is expected to be held at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base, in a territory considered symbolic and neutral, given its geostrategic position between East and West.
At the center of the discussions is the possibility of reaching a ceasefire agreement, as well as paths towards a long-term solution to the conflict that has shocked Europe and the world since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Regarding the possibility that topics related to the Western Balkans, including Kosovo, will be raised at this meeting, experts on European affairs are skeptical. They emphasize that the absolute focus of the meeting will remain on Ukraine, due to the urgency of the situation and its global impact, while regional issues such as Kosovo are not expected to be part of the agenda of the talks.
Analyst Dritero Arifi told Telegraf that the US aims to achieve peace in Ukraine, therefore he does not believe there will be discussions on the Western Balkans.
“We are talking about two superpowers meeting on the issue of stopping policies in areas of influence, and it depends on many circumstances on how the entire meeting will proceed, and what will be achieved at the meeting.”
But even if not in this meeting, a temporary peace will be achieved in other meetings, because the US will aim to at least achieve temporary peace, to at least settle some things, in the long term.
“Now, could there be something there for the Balkans and Kosovo? Right now, I don’t believe it, but it could still be part of the later game, the reorganization, even though the Balkans are really an area of American influence, despite the problems between Kosovo and Serbia,” Arifi claimed.
Dritero Arifi
He further added that “Later it could be if there is any reorganization within the United Nations, any different movements, then there could be unpredictable movements, but for the moment I do not believe that the Balkans can be part of the discussion, as it has more to do with the US, Russia and the war in Ukraine.”
The same opinion was shared by another political expert, Afrim Hoti.
“No, I don’t think there will be discussions about the Balkans or Kosovo, because there is a much more important topic on the Summit agenda than this. However, today’s Summit, together with President Donald Trump’s mediation a few days ago in the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, are very strong signals for the model that could eventually be used in the Balkans, in general, and in the case of Kosovo in particular. I already believe that this type of mediation is taking shape, and that the Kosovo authorities should be well prepared for such similar scenarios,” he underlined for the Telegraph.
Approach Hoti
In conclusion, Hoti estimates that there is no room for discussions on Kosovo, as the issue of the ceasefire and the Russia-Ukraine peace agreement will prevail.
Otherwise, the war between Ukraine and Russia, widely known as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, began on February 24, 2022 and is one of the largest conflicts in Europe since World War II.
Russia’s initial goal was to overthrow the Ukrainian government and take Kiev within a few days, but this failed due to strong Ukrainian resistance and Russian logistical errors.
Russia has been accused of war crimes, including the massacres in Bucha and the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin for illegal deportations of children. /Telegraph/